This internet based survey is part of a larger national study of 11,741 Americans age 18 and older with oversamples in 12 states. This survey finds there are 15 particular behaviors, life experiences, and knowledge attributes that may make a person more vulnerable to online fraud. Data from this survey find:

Nearly one in five (18%) Ohio adults who access the internet, or as many as 1.1 million people, engage in at least 7 of the 15 behaviors or experience life events that may put them at increased risk of being victimized by online fraud.

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of all Ohio adults that access the Internet – or as many as 4.1 million people – received at least one online fraud offer in 2013.

Although seventy-seven percent of Ohio adults surveyed are concerned about being scammed over the Internet, they correctly answered an average of only 4.88 out of 10 questions designed to test their knowledge about how to be safe online.

From November 23, 2013 through December 30, 2013, 1,539 national sample surveys and has completion rate of 51.3 percent and a margin of error of 3.1 percent. In Ohio, 1,018 KnowledgePanel® respondents completed the survey. This state survey has a completion rate of 56.1 percent. For more information, contact Jennifer Sauer at jsauer@aarp.org.

Suggested Citation:

Sauer, Jennifer. Caught In The Scammer's Net: Risk Factors That May Lead to Becoming an Internet Fraud Victim, AARP Survey of Ohio Adults Age 18 and Older. Washington, DC: AARP Research, March 2014. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00076.010